, 1887-05-28
SECOND READING OF THE CRIMES
BILL.
(The Times, Tuesday, April 49,!

-
The second reading of the Crimes Bill
was last night ctrried without IL division
after the rejection of the amendment by
the large and satisfactory majority Of 10l.
The House was a very full one, the mum
berS being $40 against 269. Adding the
speaker and tcllers we get a total of 644,
which, as the House consists just now Of
669 members, leaves only % votes to be
accounted for. Mr.. Chamberlain is the
most conspicuous Of the absenteps, but his
speeches III the North have completely eX-
posed the hOllowness of the attempt to
show that he does not care 10 vote for tho
Bill. 1t may be noted that on the applica.
ton of the closure on the first reading the
figures were 36l to 253, giving a House Of
6l9 members, Or % fewer than last night,
and a majority of o. as compared with !O1.
The Irish people are by this division
brought appreclably nearer the moment of.
their dellverance from one of the most CRU
ell anu destructive tyrannieS under which
a country ever grOaned. Arbitrary Gov.
ernments sometimes Cypress % people by
excessive taxation, hut we should have to
go to the proceedings of some %conquering
Eastern tribe to find a parallel to the
walton dlSlOcatlOn of the frame work of
society n the rulnOuS assaults upon the
very springs of social prosperity by which
the National League seeks to consolidate
its power. irresponsible rulers sometimes
work the machinery of justice too Eexclu-
slVely in the interest of their own domino.
ton, but once that is made secure they do
not let loose all the forces of social jealousy,
tribal feuds, and personal revenge to
scourge their unfortunate people. This,
however, is what the Parnellite conspiracy
does in Ireland, with the most callous dis
paOAP6 for fha NyaIfA ra nj kI,o - ,-I 80
whose weakness or timility it works. The
second reading of the Grimes Bill aflrms
the principle that this monstrous and hate
ful tyranny shall be broken down, and
that the people of Ireland shall be set free
from rue grinding oppression of a conspira-
cy Wnlcn uses tirem only as pawnS In its
game. Lord Harrington, whose speech last
hlght WAS marked as usual by masculine
cOmm0n-sense and complete mastery of
his subject, dwrlt upon the gravity of the
issue involved in the decision of the House.
tie declared that the thing most clearly
established by the late general election Was
that "lreland is to be governed by the law,
''the ordinary law, the law of Parliament,
land is not to be governed by the law of
the National League In spite of u%nparal-
leled obstruction, connived at aud promo
ted by the very men whose past binds them
20 De foremost in maintaining che dignity of
Parllament and the sovereignty of tire
popular will constitutionally expressed
the House of Commons has at length been
able to affirm the principle for the maimte-
nance of which it was called into being.
The ordinary law of civilized S~tatesethe
law under which the people ofthis country
live and to which they owe their liberty
and happiness, is to be maintained in Ire-
land Dy the AID of the extraordinary mea.
sures rendered necessary by the long imnnu.
nifty from control enjoyed BY the forces OF
anarchy. The law against which Sir Will
ham Harcourt is not ashamed to invoke
rebellion is. as Lord Harrington observed,